Shopping Luxury Goods Virtually From Your Home Office And Why You Should Fear the "Buy Now" Button
PAGE Magazine
For those of us who weren’t shopping online before the pandemic began, it did the job of making us turn to the world wide web whether we needed groceries or something from our favorite designer.
The thing about purchasing our needs and wants online is that it doesn’t exactly feel fabulous, does it? Especially if you’re doing your shopping with an unwashed face, still in your jammies, and slumped on the couch.
It doesn’t need to be that way.
Use this guide to feel luxuriously elegant while shopping virtually from home.
1. Think Luxury
If you want to feel elegant and luxurious when shopping online, thinking luxuriously is the first thing you should do.
Before you sit down in front of your laptop or reach for your phone, you need to put yourself into the right state of mind. Know and believe that luxury and elegance radiate from within, and that happens when you choose to acknowledge – and enjoy – the good things in your life.
2. Look The Part
It’s difficult to feel elegant when you’re shopping virtually while lounging around in your strictly-for-home clothes, so if you want to feel refined and graceful, you need to look the part.
This means making a smidgeon of effort – don your favorite shopping outfit, brush or style your hair, and, if you feel like wearing make-up, go for it. You can further enhance your feelings of luxury and elegance by applying a light spritz of perfume.
3. Set The Scene
The last bit of personal prep that you should do is to set the scene at home.
I’m not suggesting that you makeover your home or the room where you do most of your virtual shopping.
I am saying that you can add a few small touches that bring a special something to your surroundings – put some fresh flowers in a vase, make an indulgent tea or coffee drink, or opt for icy sparkling water flavored with lemon verbena and honey, and light a luxuriously scented candle.
4. Visit High-End Virtual Stores
When you’ve got yourself comfortable and you’re ready to start shopping virtually from home, direct your browser to one of the brands that have introduced virtual store or showroom elements.
I’m not talking about bargain bin brands, but rather huge names such as Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Carolina Herrera, Charlotte Tilbury, Clarins, Gucci, American Eagle, Farfetch, and Intermix – and, no, you don’t need a VR headset.
These and other brands’ websites have incorporated VR elements that you can access on your computer or mobile just as you would other sites. The difference is that the VR elements are immersive, interactive, and entertaining. They’re virtual spaces in which you’re happy to spend a little time exploring the way you would in a physical store.
For example, you can make video shopping appointments with store associates and use one-on-one texting at Gucci and Intermix, explore themed rooms at Tommy Hilfiger’s virtual store, and try on clothes with the help of AR at Carolina Herrera’s site.
5. Get A Front-Row Seat At The Runway
For many of us, going shopping has seldom been limited to trawling racks and browsing shelves. We might nip in and out of the supermarket if all we need is that missing supper ingredient, but if we’re Going Shopping, we want a bit of entertainment, too.
Entertainment is what you’ll get at sites such as Chanel and Christian Dior, where exquisite video content gives you front-row seats at the runway. You can’t help but feel luxuriously elegant when you choose a seasonal collection and see gorgeous models ‘selling the garments’ in what feels like a private show just for you.
6. Try-On Garments Virtually
Not being able to try on clothes before purchasing them has been one of the challenges of shopping virtually, but that is changing.
Use features such as Amazon’s AI-powered Style by Alexa and Prime Wardrobe to find clothing suggestions, compare outfits, and try on clothes virtually.
7. Indulge In Subscription Shopping
Subscription shopping is like a hack for anyone who wants to feel luxuriously elegant when shopping online.
There are all sorts of services available, and the best of them are boxes filled with goodies delivered right to your home on a fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly basis.
Take a look at boxes such as Moi-Même, which includes high-end new-to-you beauty products and other items for self-care, FabFitFun, which is all about wellness, beauty, and health, and Interior Design Box, which includes hand-picked items that bring more beauty and style into your home.
8. Avoid The “Buy Now” Button
By now, you should have realized the “buy now” button is the quick and easy way to shop online. It’s also a quick and easy way to run up a tab on items that you will more than likely be at odds with when they arrive.
Bags and other accessories are great when affordable, buy the “buy now” button for substantial luxury goods like coats and shoes could be underwhelming if you don’t get the right fit. Make sure the site offers a return and a refund for items that can easily run you $1000 or more.
Lavish Shopping à la Maison
For decades, we’ve focused on the speed and convenience aspects of online shopping, but that’s starting to change.
Greater awareness of social distancing, a focus on feeling happier staying at home, and the virtual world becoming a greater part of our lives in the wake of the pandemic means that we want more.
There’s certainly more to come in the future. But for now, don’t let anything stop you from feeling oh-so-opulent when you shop online.
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